Mary Lane Morrison (August 15, 1907 – July 16, 1994) was an American writer, historian and preservationist. She was the curator of the

Georgia Historical Society The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia, United States. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, ex ...

, a member of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the

state of Georgia Georgia is a state in the Southeastern United States. It borders Tennessee and North Carolina to the north, South Carolina and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Florida to the south, and Alabama to the west. Of the 50 U.S. states, Georgia i ...

"Mary Lane Morrison research materials"
–

and was a director in

The Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK charity and amenity society that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. As a statutory consultee, by la ...

, founded in 1966. She also wrote ''John S. Norris: Architect in Savannah'', on the architectural work of John S. Norris, and edited '' Historic Savannah: A Survey of Significant Buildings in the Historic and Victorian Districts of Savannah, Georgia''.

Biography

Morrison was born in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, in 1907,Mary Lane Morrison Fund
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the daughter of Mills Bee Lane Sr. (1860–1945) and Mary Comer Lane (1881–1966). She was the sister of Mills Jr., Hugh, Edward"Mills B. Lane Jr., Atlanta Banker, Is Dead at 77"
– ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', May 10, 1989 and Remer Young Lane (1910–1984). She was also the granddaughter of Hugh Comer (1842–1900), who died seven years before she was born. On May 10, 1941, she married Howard Jackson Morrison (1905–1965), a lieutenant commander in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, with whom she had two sons — Howard J. Morrison Jr. (1943–2019)Howard Jackson Morrison Jr., 1943 - 2019
– ''

Savannah Morning News The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its Savannah metropolitan area, metropolitan ...

'', January 26, 2019 and Mills Lane Morrison — and a daughter, Mary Morrison Clarke (1948–2011). Lane graduated from

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

in 1929. That same year, her photographs from around Savannah were shown at the Barcelona International Exposition. Morrison became very active in the preservation community in Savannah. She received an award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Preservation from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. The Trust stated that her work had "a major impact in documenting the architecture of Savannah. Virtually every building's date of original construction is known, as well as the name of the builders, with specific reference to date of construction and appropriate architectural style." Each of her children also received the Georgia Trust's Preservation Award for Excellence for the Lebanon Plantation, a long-time family home. Morrison's son, Howard, and his wife, Mary Reynolds Morrison, later owned the property, the third generation of the family to do so.Morrison Family for Lebanon Plantation
– Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

Death and legacy

Morrison died in 1994, aged 86. She is buried, beside her husband and family, in Savannah's

Bonaventure Cemetery Bonaventure Cemetery is a rural cemetery located on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, southeast of downtown Savannah, Georgia. The cemetery's prominence grew when it was featured in the 1994 novel '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Ev ...

. A year following her death, the Mary Lane Morrison Endowment was established by her family "to honor her love of and commitment to Georgia history." In 2018, the

Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. It was founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the United ...

(SCAD) inducted Morrison into its Savannah Women of Vision program.Women of Vision Wednesday: Mary Lane Morrison
– SCAD District, March 28, 2018

Publications

* ''John S. Norris: Architect in Savannah'' (1980)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Mary Lane 1907 births 1994 deaths Writers from Savannah, Georgia Academics of the University of Dundee Smith College alumni American architecture writers American women historians 20th-century American women writers Historical preservationists 21st-century American historians Historians of the Southern United States 21st-century American women American women curators American curators Members of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America